Aquasphere

Based in the Mediterranean, The World Sea Centre was designed as a multifaceted development of an 80 hectare disused naval dockyard in the bay of Toulon. The site, a former workplace for several thousand French shipbuilders, was declared redundant in the face of overseas competition in a pattern familiar to British shipyards. It was conceived as a resource centre for the marine related activities that would encompass leisure, science, education and technology.

Marks Barfield conceived the masterplan, with associated landscaping, and designed an ‘Aquasphere’ as a major tourist attraction, and major ’people-draw’ of the Centre. Termed by the French press as the ‘Beaubourg of the Sea’, the Aquasphere contained large ‘under-sea’ aquariums with exhibition and audio-visual displays and auditoria within the glass dome above.

The project also contained major elements of master-planning, landscaping and the need for discreet planning of a large car park (capacity 2,000 vehicles).

Based in the Mediterranean, The World Sea Centre was designed as a multifaceted development of an 80 hectare disused naval dockyard in the bay of Toulon. The site, a former workplace for several thousand French shipbuilders, was declared redundant in the face of overseas competition in a pattern familiar to British shipyards. It was conceived as a resource centre for the marine related activities that would encompass leisure, science, education and technology.

Marks Barfield conceived the masterplan, with associated landscaping, and designed an ‘Aquasphere’ as a major tourist attraction, and major ’people-draw’ of the Centre. Termed by the French press as the ‘Beaubourg of the Sea’, the Aquasphere contained large ‘under-sea’ aquariums with exhibition and audio-visual displays and auditoria within the glass dome above.

The project also contained major elements of master-planning, landscaping and the need for discreet planning of a large car park (capacity 2,000 vehicles).